Fire crews from across the county spent Friday afternoon battling an out of control five-alarm grass fire that swept through the Cordelia area, burning one homes, damaging a second and damaging several out buildings that lay in its path.

The fire was reported around 3:45 p.m. in the area of Lopes Road and Interstate 680 and, with the wind fanning the flames, quickly jumped the freeway, said Fairfield Fire Department Battalion Chief Bob Stoffel, the incident's public information officer.

The fire then burned through a home on Ramsey Road north of Cordelia Road, Stoffel said. It would go on to damage a second home and 5 out buildings.

According to CalFire Battalion Chief Joe Petersen, two air tankers, a helicopter and two hand crews joined the firefight along with a fleet of engines from fire agencies around the county, including Fairfield, Suisun City, Cordelia, Montezuma, Vallejo, Napa County and the Vacaville Fire Protection District.

The blaze charred a total of five acres and, at last report, at least two homes were confirmed to have been involved, while more than a dozen others were threatened, officials said.

Thick smoke causing limited visibility forced the closure of northbound Interstate 680, and surrounding roads, including Cordelia, Ramsey and Bridgeport roads, which were shut down as the fire continued its spread, officials reported.

Standing on the railroad tracks across from her home in the 2100 block of Cordelia Road, Sherry Thompson stood in disbelief as smoke rose from the back yard of the residence she has called home for the past 25 years.

"My cat's in that house and I'm just praying it doesn't catch on fire," she said, adding that, most of all, she is thankful that her family got out safely.

Still, she worried about her free-range chickens that roamed her back yard along with pigeons and a few doves.

"All my animals mix together back there and they all get along," she added.

After being evacuated from her home by authorities, Thompson rushed across the road to warn her son.

"The fire had jumped in this field and was just roaring toward me," she said.

Thompson and her family then sought shelter at an area ranch before she made her way back, using back roads and walking the last short distance along the train tracks to ensure her house was still standing, she said.

"I would lose everything. Twenty-five years of memories and my kids pictures," she said, her voice filling with emotion.

"This house is from the 1880s," she said. "It was originally one bedroom with dormer windows. It has such character that I don't want to lose it. It's my friend."

Her son's home down the road, wasn't so lucky, she said.

"All my daughter-in-law's wedding stuff was in there," she said.

According to Stoffel, crews were able to halt the fire's forward progress by around 7:30 p.m. — at press time, their task was to focus on containment. Stoffel added that crews would remain on scene throughout the night.